The Minister for Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald accepted from the Chinese Government, September 19, a gift of nine computers and two printers for three institutions on Grand Bahama.

The handover came during a special assembly at the Beacon School, which was attended by His Excellency Hu Shan, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to The Bahamas; the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister for Grand Bahama; and senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Ministry for Grand Bahama. The computers are being donated to the Beacon School, Program me Sure, and PACE.

Callenders & Co. senior associate Llewellyn Boyer-Cartwright has been selected to attend the 2nd annual AeroPodium summit in Aruba September 20-21; a gathering of the top authorities, experts and officials in the offshore registration of aircraft and air safety. Callenders and Boyer-Cartwright, a commercial pilot before taking up law nearly two decades ago and earning a Master's degree in Aviation Science, is spearheading the campaign to establish a Bahamas International Aircraft Registry.

That effort is being fully supported by the Bahamas Financial Services Board and together the BFSB and Boyer-Cartwright have had three Cabinet level meetings in recent months.

On Monday, September 17, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman and Minister of the Environment and Housing, The Hon. Kenred Dorsett addressed the opening session of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Grant Writing Capacity Development Workshop in the Harry C. Moore Auditorium at the College of The Bahamas (C.O.B.). Also on hand to give remarks, Dr. Betsy Boze, C.O.B. President, Mr. Philip Weech, of GEF Focal Point and Mr. Manuel Messina, of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

The primary objective of the three-day workshop is to provide civil society representatives and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) representatives with relevant grants training and skills development.

The University Transition Secretariat (UTS), appointed to envision the character and roadmap for The University of The Bahamas, met with Minister of Education, Science and Technology Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald and Chairman of the College Council Mr. Alfred Sears on Monday, September 17th. Minister Fitzgerald stressed his support for the work of the Secretariat, which he termed an "important, critical initiative for national development."

"I look forward to doing whatever I can to help you in this most important work," Minister Fitzgerald said during the meeting at the UTS headquarters at The College's Oakes Field Campus.

More than 500 volunteers from all walks of life turned out to participate in the 27th anniversary of International Coastal Cleanup in New Providence. To date, this global initiative has helped remove over 153 million pounds of marine litter from more than 312,000 miles of coastlines and waterways since it began 26 years ago.

"In New Providence, we cleaned Yamacraw Beach and found everything from mattresses, car parts, construction materials and so much more. Volunteers also cleaned in Grand Bahama. Each volunteer was determined and together we made a huge impact. We also sent the message that we don't want trash to destroy our environment. It took many people working as a unified team to make a real difference and we thank everyone who participated. We hope our efforts will be supported by all by putting trash in its place," said Linzi Knowles-Belton, education supervisor at Dolphin Encounters which is the National Coordinator of International Coastal Cleanup in The Bahamas.

Bahamas Speed Week Revival organizers announced Tuesday that one of the world's leading international private financial institutions, Pictet Bank & Trust, will once again sponsor the social highlight of the event, the Pictet Speed Week Ball and Auction of Promises to be held December 1 with proceeds of the auction benefitting four Bahamian charities.

"Pictet's presence once again adds prestige to a series of events already promising to be the sporting and social highlight of the year, Bahamas Speed Week 2012," said Jimmie Lowe, Speed Week President. "Pictet was a great partner last year and the fact that an international institution of Pictet's reputation is eager to return speaks volumes about the calibre and quality of the event."

Sandals Royal Bahamian wrapped up a week long radio remote Monday that reached more than 30 million listeners across the Unites States. The remote involved 24 stations from 22 cities across 20 states in the US. The radio DJs interviewed staff and management of Sandals Royal Bahamian, focusing primarily on the $20 million renovations of the property's Balmoral Tower.

On the first day, Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, Gordon "Butch" Stewart made a surprise appearance to the broadcast site on the property's Piano Bar Terrace.

On Wednesday, September 19, 2012, the U.S. Embassy hosted a roundtable discussion between Anita Botti, the Chief of Staff and Principal Deputy in the U.S. Secretary of State's Office of Global Women's Issues and a group of students from St. Andrew's High School's Model UN program. Model UN program is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate students about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda.

The forum gave the seven St. Andrew's students who participate in the afterschool Model UN program the opportunity to engage Ms. Botti in a thought-provoking discussion about the challenges facing women globally and efforts made by Bahamian organizations, such as the Crisis Center, to promote and protect the status of women.

The Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC) held the opening ceremony on Monday, September 17, 2012 for their new West Sunrise Plant (WSP). The $80 million, 52 MW plant was fully operational in July of this year and is a key milestone in Emera's strategy of delivering efficient, reliable electrical service to customers across Grand Bahama Island. The West Sunrise Plant employs 35 highly skilled Bahamians who have successfully completed the company's world class operator training program.

In attendance at the event was the Honourable Michael Darville, Minister for Grand Bahama and Member of Parliament for Pineridge, who gave the keynote address. Also in attendance, despite the unrelenting rain, were several government officials and representatives from the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA).

The Grand Bahama Children's Home gratefully received much needed support for its upcoming "Steak Fest" from popular household products Festival by FLASH multi-purpose cleaners and Ensueno Fabric Softeners distributed by Bahamas Wholesale Agencies Limited.

"We are thrilled to announce the donation of all of the steaks we will be grilling - thanks to Festival by FLASH cleaning products, Ensueno fabric softeners," said Mrs. Jean Hivert, Grand Bahama Children's Home Executive Committee. "We are extremely grateful for this wonderful donation which will go a long way to help ensuring as much money as possible from ticket sales will go directly to helping our children and for the operation of the Home," added Mrs. Hivert.

What is "hope"? We can look to the dictionaries and get definitions, which are pretty clear. Perhaps many people don't really think about the true meaning of the word, and its close ties to "trust".

We at the Humane Society of Grand Bahama see "hope" on a daily basis, on the faces of the animals who come in through no fault of their own. Despite their confusion and sadness at their owner giving them up or never coming to look for them, so many are still so willing to give us humans another chance. For them, hope truly springs eternal and their trust in us is infinite; and a sobering responsibility. With purrs or wagging tails, they show their faith that we, their last resort, will not let them down nor extinguish their hope. We have also seen the complete lack of hope on some faces. Those who have endured the worst and no longer have any expectation of anything better. We have been able to restore hope to many of them.

Early on Saturday morning, September 15th, students from Lucaya International School (LIS) on Grand Bahama gathered to assist the Zone Captain, Gail Woon (EARTHCARE) with the Gold Rock Beach International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) 2012, at Lucayan National Park, east.

A grand total of 400 pounds of marine debris was collected, recorded and bagged for collection for the Gold Rock Beach zone. Most of the marine debris found was debris from fast food, beach-goers, sports/games, celebrations and litter from streets. These items included paper and plastic bags; beverage bottles, cans, caps and lids; cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons, food wrappers/containers, straws, stirrers. Students also found shoes.

A shrine dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help now graces the original chapel of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Hunters, Grand Bahama. The shrine was officially dedicated on Wednesday, September 5, with a mass and Novena.

Fr. Saju Vabakumpadam, CMI, Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, in sharing the brief history behind the Shrine stated that it was in July of this year following the June 16th Feast Day of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, that the decision was made to utilise the old church building for weekday services and Veneration of Our Mother of Perpetual Help utilizing a replica of the icon.

The act of purchasing a house for below market value and selling it immediately for a profit is called "Flipping". In the not so distant past and not unlike the gold prospectors of long ago, eager investors hoping to strike it rich stampeded the real estate market in search of the mother load. Armed with low interest rates and shouts of "no down payment" these eager profiteers surged the market in pursuit of that diamond in the rough, the elusive "fixer-upper" home. That dusty hidden treasure waiting to be found and scrubbed into a sparkling gem, a home once polished that would so shine and enthrall buyers they'd pay nearly double what the prospector did. Entire television networks have been dedicated to the art of flipping homes. Turn on the TV at any given time and you'll find numerous do-it-yourself shows featuring regular people with no cash buying, fixing, then selling houses. They make it look so easy.

Unfortunately, since the market dropped, scores of investors found themselves with a half finished hovel, over their heads in debt due to newly adjusted (for the worse) interest rates, and houses they could not afford. A veritable money pit with no one to flip the house over to.

The old adgage goes 'you can't tell a book by its cover'. Well, yes and no. In the case of 'Angelic Verses' I do hope the cover says something about the book. When it came to choosing a cover for the book there were many reproductions of famous paintings to choose from. Raphael's popular putti (little cherubs) is often cited as a fine example of renaissance artistry but for my taste the cherubs have been a little over-exposed as angelic subjects. Bouguereau, Cortona and even the great Rembrandt van Rijn all painted great canvas's depicting angels but I found Lorenzo Lotto's, 'Madonna with the Saints and Angels' exactly what I was looking for. It is an enigmatic painting worthy of more exposure and a more scholarly disertatation than I could compose.

The 'Angelic Verses' book includes a brief description of the Lorenzo Lotto painting which will be followed up with a more complete, and very personal, analysis.

The One Eleuthera Foundation's CEO, Shaun Ingraham paid a courtesy call on the Right Honourable Perry Christie, Prime Minister of The Bahamas on September 13, 2012. Mr. Ingraham shared the vision of the One Eleuthera Foundation and updated the Prime Minister and his team on the work of the Foundation thus far.

The One Eleuthera Foundation is making great strides with their mission of strengthening, connection and planning for Eleuthera and their initiatives include culture and heritage, economic development, environment planning, education enhancement and health and wellness for Eleuthera.

The Minister of Education, Science and Technology, the Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald met with the organisers of the Fly Fishing Guide Apprenticeship Programme on Thursday, 6th September, 2012. This initiative is a joint venture involving the Ministries of Tourism; Education, Science and Technology and the Department of Fisheries for students of grades 10, 11 and 12. It consists of six modules: Introduction to Fly Fishing; Geography/Ecology/Meteorology; Laws Governing the Industry; Safety Procedures; Boating Skills and Fly Fishing Skills.

Minister Fitzgerald commended the organisers for introducing the initiative and ensured them of the Ministry's support to see the programme come into fruition in a timely manner. He also mentioned his concern for ensuring that policies were put in place so that students participating in the programme would achieve certification in the field and go on to become entrepreneurs in their communities.

"The ultimate testimony of testosterone togetherness."

Not really, sounds more like a WB tournament, however the Bachelor Party has a history that dates back as far as the 5th century. Spartan soldiers who lived, fought, and died together would honour one of their very own with a gala dinner for the soldier about to be wed. They considered themselves brothers and as a show of respect to their comrade they would celebrate his last night as a bachelor with a gallant dinner, libation, ample laughter and sporting fun.

Bachelor parties are engrained in our society as "the last hurrah," the symbolic celebration of the transitioning for a gentleman from single life to married life. The word bachelor was first used by Geoffrey Chambers - Canterbury Tales in reference to an unmarried man in the 14th century.

It's just days away, and Star Model Management will host the first official selection for a Bahamas representative to Manhunt International 2012 which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand. The Manhunt International contest is the largest and longest running male modeling contest in the world and is franchised to more than 70 countries worldwide. It is open to aspiring males and provides them with a platform to launch their international modeling career.

"The Ultimate Girls Night Out!" Manhunt Bahamas will be the door opening for the young Bahamian male who wants to pursue a career in the professional world of modeling. Taking place at the Treasure Bay Casino the pageant preliminary swimwear judging and contestant Mix N' Mingle for Manhunt International Bahamas will be held on September 22nd as well as the final night of competition September 23rd, 2012, where the official Bahamas' representative to Manhunt International will be named.

The island of Grand Bahama's economy will be significantly impacted on Thursday October 11th, 2012, with the explosion of local and international gospel performing artists. This gospel extravaganza will help to cause the resurgence of Grand Bahama as a Religious Tourism destination, as visitors from throughout the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the United States will converge on Grand Bahama as they celebrate and 'Thank God for Life'.

Understanding the importance of these types of events to the island, Bishop Godfrey Williams and the Jubilee Cathedral family have now become the newest Platinum Sponsor for the Grand Bahama Gospel Fest, by providing Jubilee Cathedral as the new venue to host GB Gospel Fest 2012. Additionally, coming onboard as a Platinum Sponsor is the Grand Lucayan Resort, who will also be promoting GB Gospel Fest to their network of some 40,000 including South Florida and Atlanta. Also committing their financial support to GB Gospel Fest is Gizmos and Gadgets.

Celebrated television, film and stage actor, Giancarlo Esposito, whose acting career spans over several decades has been named as this year's Career Achievement Award recipient at FLIFF on Location: Grand Bahama Island taking place from October 25th through 28th, 2012 at the Pelican Bay Hotel. Esposito has appeared in notable films such as Rabbit Hole, The Usual Suspects, Smoke and The Last Holiday. His performances in Spike Lee's films Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, School Daze and Malcolm X are among his most memorable.

"We are thrilled to honor Giancarlo Esposito with a Career Achievement Award, which is so richly deserved," said Gregory von Hausch, Founder, FLIFF. "Giancarlo is a gentle, kind and sincere person, and so very successful at his craft. He has been in big and small films, on TV and the stage, and wherever he appears he brings his heart and soul with him."

Viva Wyndham Fortuna Beach Resort announces a music and fashion showcase Nov. 16-18th. The event will feature music performances by DJ GQ from Miami, Ben DJ from Italy, singer Selena Serrano, and a fashion show by Hardour Collection.

DJ GQ's style includes mixing hip-hop, reggae, pop, house and rock n' roll. Known asmusic industry elite, he's rocked venues in major U.S. and international markets. Ben DJ is one of the most requested DJs and music producers on the international scene. Selena Serrano is one of the hottest up-and-coming music artists.

At a press conference held on the grounds of the Bahamian Brewery and Beverage Company (BBB) lawn, executives announced plans to host the first "Man in the Boat" Sculling Championships in Grand Bahama.

"We are pleased to be ending our National Sculling competition here in Grand Bahama, where we brew our beers," noted Lynden Johnson, BBB Sales and Marketing Manager. "We will be hosting the Grand Bahama sculling race on Friday, September 28th in the evening; 6pm at Taino Beach. We are also pleased to announce that the event will now be called the Lorenzo Johnson GB Sculling Races, in memory of our brewer who passed away last year."

The 2nd annual Kayak Challenge will take place on Saturday, November 3rd. This year the event will take place at Pete's Pub in Little Harbour with live music by Fire and the Goat Peppers, artist booths, children's activities on the beach and much more! Proceeds from the event will benefit The Abaco Cancer Society and FRIENDS.

Click HERE to download the registration form and start training early. You can also keep up to date with the event on the Kayak Challenge event page on Facebook.

What a fun weekend of sailing! On Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of September, all of the dinghy classes, Snipes, Lasers, Sunfish and Optis were on Montague Bay battling it out. This was a challenge regatta with many sailing in boats they don't usually sail - and it wasn't just the junior sailors making all the noise.

Many of the recent 'Adult Learn To Sail' participants were right there in the mix of things yelling with their newly acquired expertise and spouting words like staaarboard! buoy rooooom! and a repertoire of other battle-cry words. Also amazing was how obedient the fathers were to their sons' commands as dads were crewing for the youngsters in the Sunfish class.

I hardly ever watch network news, but I happened to stumble across this appalling report on NBC's "Rock Center" the other night. In THIS CLIP, reporter Richard Engel blames this week's anti-American violence on "conspiracy theories" that Arab populations have been fed over the years by their rulers, including the idea that the United States and Israel are colluding to control the Middle East.

It's no secret there are conspiracy theories circulating in the Middle East (as there are here in the good old USA: Remember the "birthers?") I've heard them every time I've lectured in the region and done my best to debunk them. But by attributing Arab and Muslim anger solely to these ideas, Engel's report paints a picture of the United States (and by implication, Israel) as wholly blameless. In his telling, the U.S. has had nothing but good intentions for the past century, but the intended beneficiaries of our generosity don't get it solely because they've been misled by their leaders.